Tony Harrison served five years in the U.S. Army, and was stationed in the United States and abroad, including Iraq. His life was going pretty well when he was discharged in 2006. He bought a condo and had a good job. And then when the economy crashed, everything started to unravel.

He had to short sell his home, he lost his job and, in his words, “things just crashed.”

He rented a room for $500 until the rent was raised to $800, and he could no longer afford it. Even though he had a security job at the time, he had to start living out of his car. After he learned he may qualify for a Veterans Administration housing voucher, Tony began to see a glimmer of hope.

His Veterans Administration Supportive Housing application was accepted, so armed with a monthly stipend, he began to look for an apartment. In two months, he filled out 26 applications. Some property managers put him on a waiting list, and 16 others charged a fee for processing the applications, ranging from $25 to $50 each. He was turned down 26 times.

In September 2015, the day before the voucher was to expire, a property owner rented him a two-bedroom apartment in South San Jose, providing him, “a place to come home to.”

His experience as a homeless veteran also led him to his new job with the San Jose Downtown Streets Team, a nonprofit that helps homeless people get back on their feet through employment and housing. Part of his job is to approach landlords, talking to them about giving homeless people a chance to live under a roof and turn their lives around.

“When you’ve been through something like this and you have a chance to help other people, you’re happy to do it,” he said. “You’ve been there and you don’t want anyone to feel the way you felt.”

In November 2015, the county and the City of San Jose launched “All the Way Home,” a campaign run by Destination: Home to house the 703 veterans who are without permanent housing, according to the 2015 Homeless Census. Like Tony, about 260 of them have housing vouchers but, in today’s competitive market, cannot find a place to rent.

We need you to join the campaign. If you have a room, apartment, condo or home to rent, please contact my office immediately or come to an informational meeting at 6 p.m. on April 26 in the Board Chambers at the County Government Center located at 70 W. Hedding St. in San Jose to find out about the financial incentives that the County is offering to landlords who rent to veterans.

No one who served our country should sleep under a freeway overpass, in a tent near a creek or on a sidewalk. They fought for us and now we need to fight for them.

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